Synchronized Swimming: Showcasing Strength, Speed & Artistry

By Marcia Bradford

Based on the knowledge that young women get interested in synchronized swimming once they have seen it demonstrated, U.S. Synchronized Swimming (USSS) is focusing its efforts on making competitions more of an event than just a contest, according to Stephanie Crocker, membership manager. “We know from experience that once young women see the sport, they get excited about it,” she said, noting that girls often inquire about signing up for synchronized swimming classes or clubs in their area after seeing a competition. “We are working to offer spectators more information about the sport and to provide them with a better understanding of the athleticism involved. Our hope is that with more people exposed to the sport, participation will expand at a faster pace.”

She added that these efforts are making the sport more fun for all spectators, not just those who might someday take up competitive synchronized swimming.

To focus attention on the sport, USSS has developed a new vision, positioning synchronized swimming as “the sport for the next generation of women” and emphasizing the athleticism it involves, Crocker said. In addition, the national governing body has also adopted “The Ultimate Team Sport” as the new tagline for synchronized swimming.

Strength, Speed & Artistry

One of the current goals of USSS is to update the public’s understanding of synchronized swimming as a sport that is very athletically demanding, Crocker said. While artistry and timing still are essential, strength and speed have become increasingly important. This has changed the approach toward coaching and the requirements for the facilities for training and competition, she added. “Sports science is important to addressing physical and mental challenges of the sport now more than ever,” she said. “Conditioning is a critical element of the sport. It’s like running a four-minute mile while holding your breath for half of it.”

In addition, rules that disqualify a team if anyone touches the bottom and the trend toward “spectacular lifts and throws that can stack athletes four-high” have made finding facilities with adequate pool depths and consulting lift and acrobatics coaches even more critical, Crocker said.

Virginia (Ginny) Jasontek, head coach of the Cincinnati YMCA Synchro Gators and immediate past president of USSS, has personally witnessed significant changes in the sport over the years. She competed in synchronized swimming events in the 1950s and her daughter has competed at the Olympic level. Additionally, she serves on the Technical Synchronized Swimming Committee of FINA, the international governing body for the sport, which sets the rules for international competition.

Jasontek cited the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the first Olympics that included synchronized swimming as a medal sport, as a major turning point for synchronized swimming. Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie from the U.S. team won the first Olympic medals in the duet event, and Ruiz won gold in the solo event a day later. “These two women were very athletic, and, I believe, from the time of those Olympic performances to the present, the face of the sport has changed dramatically,” she said. “It has changed [the public’s perception of the sport] from much less like ‘water ballet’ to a much more athletic competition.”

Since the 1984 Olympics, U.S. teams have won several Olympic medals in synchronized swimming events, most notably the team gold at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and bronze medals for the duet and team categories at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The U.S. team finished fourth in the duet event and fifth as a team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and tied with Japan for fifth place in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jasontek has noticed three major trends that are increasing the intensity of competitions. First, synchronized swimmers have become stronger and more flexible since the sport made its Olympics debut as they have come to rely on fitness trainers and physical therapists, she said. “If you don’t have proper physical training, you can’t do lifts—and in any good team competition you will see four to five good lifts.”

The second change involves speed, Jasontek said. “Over the last 25 years, not only have the swimmers gotten faster but also the pace of the routines has gotten faster.” Thirdly, she said, more moves are done much higher in the air than they were in the past. This enhances visual interest for spectators, she said. “In Europe and Asia, where the sport is very popular, spectators will be on their feet, yelling and clapping when some of the lifts are done. You would never have seen this display of enthusiasm before the sport became so athletic.”

While the athletic nature of the routines and athletes has increased as the sport has evolved over the years, grace and choreographed movement still are very important to winning competitions, Jasontek said, and much of the judging is based on execution and difficulty of synchronization. The Team Combination Event, judged solely on artistic merit, has become a fan favorite in the last five years due to its unique artistry, Crocker said. This event features 10 swimmers, but as few as one and as many as eight can swim different parts of the routine, so spectators seem to like the different elements and that it involves several forms of competition.

Getting Started

FINA rules don’t allow boys to participate internationally in synchronized swimming even though they can participate at the local level, so by and large synchronized swimming is a girls’ sport, Crocker said. Jasontek believes one of the reasons young girls are drawn to synchronized swimming is because it involves much of the same elements and skills as dance and gymnastics. “When little girls see a show or see others practicing, they often want to sign up because it looks fun,” she said, noting that music is another appeal to synchronized swimming. “Many girls who have an inclination toward music are attracted to synchronized swimming when they see an event because routines use all types of music, including classic, jazz, hip-hop and so forth.”

Girls who take swimming lessons through the YMCA often want to try additional water sports, so enrollment continues to increase as more local YMCAs and other recreational facilities add classes in synchronized swimming, Jasontek said. Additionally, some racing swimmers decide to try synchronized swimming because it is more artistic and more challenging in terms of coordinating movement with other swimmers.

While many girls start synchronized swimming at around 8 or 9 years old, others don’t take up the sport until high school or college. Regardless of their age when they start, Jasontek said beginners to the sport need to develop strong swimming skills before they can work on the artistry. “You need to be able to swim for long periods of time without getting tired; otherwise, you won’t be able to stay in formation and concentrate on the routine,” she said. “If you can’t stay under water for at least two minutes or control your breathing in the water your moves won’t be very graceful.”

College championships, some of which are drawing “crowds like those at football games,” and national meets are becoming popular events, Jasontek said, noting that events like the 2009 Esynchro Age Group Championships, held June 27-July 4 at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, usually sell out because there are lots of age groups involved. More than 1,000 athletes ages 11-19 competed for titles in solo, duet, trio and team events at the Age Group Championships, which is the world’s largest synchronized swimming event, according to Taylor Payne, USSS media relations manager. In addition, the 2009 U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team made a special appearance on June 29, demonstrating routines and holding an autograph session.

Jasontek said that events involving younger athletes draw large numbers of parents and other family members, as well as people from the local community. As the competitors get older, however, there are often fewer family members in attendance, which means smaller audiences overall.

International competitions, such as the U.S. Open, July 15-19 in Tucson, Ariz., are helping build a base of support, partly because they involve teams from other countries, Jasontek said. This year’s event featured teams from Canada, Brazil and China. In addition, the U.S. team competed in the FINA World Championships July 18-25 in Rome.

Even with the rising competition at USSS collegiate, national and international events, the Olympics remain the best way to attract young participants to the sport, Crocker said. “The Olympics are our biggest selling point if we get TV time,” she said. “Synchronized swimming is a visual sport, and once people see the sport in action they love it. It has been downplayed by many broadcasts over the years, and for that reason many people don’t think of synchronized swimming as a sport. But for those who have seen synchronized swimming in action either live or on TV, they are in awe of the athletes’ ability to hold their breath underwater for more than two minutes while they do these athletically challenging moves—and all without touching the bottom of the pool! Several of our 2008 Olympians said their Olympic dreams began when they saw the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics U.S. team swim at their club.”

Sport Report
Number of USSS members: 5,500
Number of USSS competing athletes: 4,100
Number of USS clubs: 238
Number of USSS events: 6 National Championships per year
Age of participants: 5-80+ years old (average age of top competitors is 16-24)

Contact:
Taylor Payne
Media Relations Manager, USSS
(317) 237-5700
Taylor@usasynchro.org
www.usasynchro.org